1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electrical terminal with means to protect the locking lances from damage and entanglement during handling and transport.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Among the common types of electrical terminals are those stamped and formed from sheet metal, comprising a contact section, a locking section and a conductor attachment section. The locking section, usually of larger periphery than the contact section, has locking lances stamped out of the base of the locking section and extending obliquely outwards with respect to the longitudinal axis of the terminal. As the terminals are pushed into cavities in an associated housing the locking lances are biased resiliently towards the base of the locking section as they pass under a shoulder in the housing cavity, the locking lances springing outwardly once past the shoulder hence abutting against the shoulder and preventing a rearward extraction of the terminal from the housing. The forward retention means usually consisting of a protrusion attached to and extending from the base of the rear end of the Locking section outwards, the front face of the protrusion abutting against the rear face of the housing cavity shoulder. An electrical connector housing usually has a plurality of terminal receiving cavities into which the terminals are inserted. Prior to insertion each one of the terminals is crimped to a conducting cable and the terminals corresponding to one connector housing are then harnessed together.
One of the problems associated to the present terminals is that, prior to insertion in the connector housing, the exposed locking lances and electric cables may get entangled, which may result in damageably bending the lances or cutting of the electric cables due to the locking lances sharp edges emanating from their manufacturing process which involves shearing them out of thin sheet metal. Damage of the locking lances may prevent their insertion into the cavities or impair their retention qualities and damage to the electrical cable or its insulation may impair the correct electrical functioning of the electrical connector. Another problem rising from the barbed aspect of the locking lance prior to insertion in the electrical connector housing is that they get caught with other locking lances, terminals or cables, this being time consuming, difficult and therefore costly to disentangle.